It's nearly hockey season again. The air will be turning colder, leaves will continue falling, and our attention can return to the Michigan Hockey team. The exhibition game against Simon Fraser is on Saturday, with the first regulation games being the following weekend. With hockey around the corner, I will be rolling out my usual four part Michigan Hockey season preview starting today and continuing through next week. For this year's series we will do defense, incoming forwards + goalies, returning forwards, and then the schedule/B1G as the format. Today: defense. 

 

Seamus Casey

Year: Sophomore

Height/Weight: 5'10"/178

NHL Draft Position: 46th overall, 2022 Draft, New Jersey

Stats: 8-21-29 in 37 games last season for Michigan

It is now Seamus Casey's time to shine at the helm of the Michigan blue line. With fellow New Jersey draft pick Luke Hughes off to pursue professional endeavors, Casey is in line to take on a much larger role for this Michigan team. Casey's freshman year in Ann Arbor was an unambiguous success, showing off the flash-and-dash that made him a valuable NHL draft pick, selected inside the top 50 of his draft year. What I wrote about with Casey in last year's preview, his classic Michigan mix of skill and skating ability, came true.

Casey is an exceptionally talented puck-handler, with rare hands for someone playing the position of defense. Nowhere was this better on display than in the biggest game Michigan played all season: 

Seamus Casey is so cool sometimes pic.twitter.com/GfcB6SRWWS

— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) September 6, 2023

Those abilities translated right away, but what really surprised was his defensive abilities out of the gate. I wrote the following in December 2022: 

Seamus Casey has been a revelation. We'll get to Luke Hughes in a minute, but with #43 a bit disappointing, Casey has really stolen some of the spotlight. The skating and hands are pretty to watch in action and he's been a lot better defensively than I'd expected. For much of this first half, Casey has been Michigan's best defenseman

Luke picked up his game in the second half and by ATOI, Hughes was clearly Michigan's most important defenseman. But that Casey put himself in that conversation during the first couple months of his NCAA career says a lot. He didn't get PP1 time to pile up points, but still collected 29 in 37 games, including three in that beatdown of Colgate in the NCAA Tournament. Now his role will likely change, with Casey having more responsibilities at the point of Michigan's top power play unit. Our contributor Peter South watched Casey at the World Junior Summer Showcase back in July, where he was the QB on the main power play unit, and gave stellar reviews.

Based on what we saw from #26 last season, I don't think there should be any trouble with that transition. Casey's shiftiness resulting from his proficiency on his edges, mixed with those hands, gives him the ability to dance the blue line and change shooting angles to ensure he gets pucks through, which is a big part of quarterbacking a PP. In support of that point, Peter documented this summer that Casey led Michigan with 17.3 shots per 60 minutes, over half of those making it on net and only 3.81 per 60 being blocked. Exactly what you want to see for a guy in that role.

[David Wilcomes]

Of course, Casey taking on a larger role as the #1 on this blue line is more than just moving to PP1. He also will have to shoulder more of a load in the transition game, where his skating and skill already made him valuable last year but the massive loss of Luke Hughes creates a need for Casey to take it to another level. When he is on the ice, he will be a key cog in terms of pushing Michigan up the ice, out of their own zone and into the offensive zone. All of Peter's data on Casey as a transition defenseman from last season were excellent and if he can take another step forward, he'll be among the very best in the NCAA at breaking the puck out of his zone and driving play.  

Defensively I'm not sure that Casey will need to take on a vastly larger role due to the transfer additions, but seeing his game continue to progress in that arena would be positive. Casey will always be undersized at 5'10" with a skinny build, but again, he flashed moments in his own end for me last year that were encouraging. PK may not be something he's asked to do much of, but he can improve as a shotblocker, among other ways to accent the team. That said, you dress Casey as your #1 D to create offense and tilt the ice in favor of Michigan through possession dominance and transition ability. 

Season Expectations: Pretty much everything I outlined in the above is the expectation. I think it's perhaps most likely that Casey plays opposite Tyler Duke, who was his long-time defensive partner when they were at the USNTDP. Duke is a left-shot, Casey a righty. Easy to pair them up and create a pair that should be dynamite offensively while being able to hang in there defensively. You also should be able to free them up for copious offensive zone starts if you play two other defenders with each other (more on that later) who can soak up DZ starts. Put that with Casey's role on PP1 and he should be a point-per-game (or better) defender this year. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: the other nine defensemen]

 

This year they'll be in the same uniform

[The Lantern, courtesy of Steve Duke]

Tyler Duke 

Year: Sophomore 

Height/Weight: 5'9"/180 lbs. 

NHL Draft position: ----

Stats: 4-8-12 in 40 games for Ohio State last season 

First I will direct you to Peter's Hello post for Tyler Duke, because it was comprehensive and will cover a lot of what I'm about to say. Tyler Duke is Dylan's brother, who has pulled off the B1G Johnny Damon, switching sides in the conference's most bitter rivalry by defecting from Ohio State to join his brother on the good side at Michigan. Tyler Duke played at the USNTDP and was a player many expected to be drafted, but who slipped for many of the reasons Dylan did (read: size). While Dylan slid from 2nd round to the late 4th, Tyler slid from the mid-rounds out of the draft entirely. The undrafted Tyler took the chip on his shoulder and enrolled at in-state Ohio State last fall. 

Over his freshman season with the Buckeyes, Tyler Duke proved himself to be a very steady top four defenseman. Duke's undersized, but he's a decently mobile two-way defender with a solid hockey IQ. He proved himself to be a trusted defensive defenseman, logging over 2 minutes per game on the NCAA's best penalty kill last season and played an ice time share equivalent to Ethan Edwards and Seamus Casey on Michigan, indicating that he was a legitimate top four defender. He had a better puck battle win rate than either Casey or Edwards, suggesting that he could help provide more of a defensive conscience on a pair with Casey. Duke also was just as good at passing the puck on breakouts as Casey, though Casey obviously has the edge in skating it out. 

Offensively, Duke didn't produce a ton, but he did show up against Michigan: 

Tyler Duke of @OhioStateMHKY scores against his brother's team and mom is loving it. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/i2X4K2Wsg3

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 18, 2023

Duke scored two of his four goals against the Wolverines and now will get to do the scoring for the Wolverines. He's not going to provide the offensive sizzle of Casey, again why they could make a good pair as complements, but Duke did play on Ohio State's second power play unit last season. The puck doesn't completely die on his stick, but he's more of a facilitator than a creator offensively. That's fine. I can see a world where Brandon Naurato gives Duke a chance on the PP and one where he doesn't. 

Season Expectations: As stated, I think Duke and Casey make a lot of sense together as a pair given their past familiarity and skill sets that mesh together. The only real concern is about size, as both are under 5'11 and could be pushed around. It's quite possible that Marshall Warren plays with Casey and Jacob Truscott with Duke, for example, but I don't think that will change Duke's role too much. He will have solid usage at even strength, have a rotational role among the top four defensemen on the PK and may or may not feature at the point of PP2. I don't expect a ton of counting stat production but a reliable, trusty player who continues to grow his game at both ends while shouldering a meaningful role is the expectation. 

 

Truscott where he normally is: grinding in the dirty areas [Bill Rapai]

Jacob Truscott

Year: Senior 

Height/Weight: 6'1"/185

NHL Draft Position: 144th overall, 2020 NHL Draft, Vancouver

Stats: 4-12-16 in 23 games last season 

The captain for this Michigan Hockey season is one Jacob Truscott, now one of only three players from his recruiting class left standing. Truscott came to Michigan in the mega class that included Owen Power, Kent Johnson, Matty Beniers, and Erik Portillo, for reference. Fast forward three years and Truscott is now a quiet but under-appreciated defender whose injury last season significantly hampered the Wolverines during the stretch run of the season. 

As a true freshman, Truscott played on the sheltered third pair with Jack Summers and (sometimes) Jay Keranen. As a sophomore, Truscott played with Luke Hughes beneath the Owen Power-Nick Blankenburg pair. Last year those two were elevated to the top pair, with Truscott playing well and authoring his best series of the year when he was injured in Minnesota in late January. I loved this play: 

Jacob Truscott relentless effort gives Michigan the 4-3 lead pic.twitter.com/NfqyxvYZ8z

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) January 22, 2023

Truscott's awareness of the situation and ability to read the play and insert himself to finish off the goal is beautiful. Truscott typically hasn't been better for much more than a breakout pass as an offensive defenseman and rarely ever joins the rush, but his heavy, booming shot is an asset. Defensively, his attention to detail and positioning stands out, a long reach that neutralizes opposing opportunities. After his injury, Michigan missed Truscott's presence on the PK and his steadying ability to take a load defensively as the team progressed deep into the NCAA Tournament. Getting Truscott back for a senior campaign is a major win and now the captain can put forth his best case to scouts that he has a future in the NHL. 

Season Expectations: I like the possibility of Truscott partnering with the next player on this preview, Marshall Warren, for a so-called "shutdown pairing" that can play tough defensive minutes, with heavy DZ starts. Those two would also presumably play a big role on the PK as well. It's possible it doesn't work because Warren doesn't have enough offensive ability, but I think it has a shot to succeed. If not, Truscott's versatility as a left-shot who can play either the left or (as he's been used more often) the right makes him a valuable piece to this defense and I certainly think he could play next to Tyler Duke or Ethan Edwards as well. No matter where he is, Truscott will play top four minutes and be one of Michigan's top penalty killing defensemen. 

 

[Boston College Athletics]

Marshall Warren

Year: GRAD 

Height/Weight: 6'0"/195 

NHL Draft Position: 166th overall, 2019 NHL Draft, Minnesota 

Stats: 5-9-14 in 36 games for Boston College last year

Michigan's other high-profile transfer defenseman pickup, Marshall Warren is now the most experienced player on the 2023-24 Michigan Hockey team. Warren played on the famous 2018-19 USNTDP team that is now responsible for supplying the NHL with a handful of young stars including Trevor Zegras, Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, and Matt Boldy (as well as former Wolverines Cam York and Johnny Beecher). Yeah, Warren is OLD. 

Much like with Tyler Duke, I recommend reading Peter's Hello post here, because I will be quoting heavily from it. Warren spent his whole undergraduate career with Boston College, including last season where he was the first Black captain in Boston College Men's Ice Hockey history. As their captain in 2022-23, Warren played a big on-ice role, playing nearly 24 minutes ATOI per game last season, logging ~two minutes on both the PP and the PK. Warren was an all-situations, pivotal piece for a subpar BC team, playing the second-most minutes of any Eagle defender, 1st in ice-time on the PK and 3rd on the PP. 

[Rena Laverty/USA Hockey]

The biggest asset Warren brings to Michigan, besides veteran experience, is his off-puck abilities. As Peter's Hello outlined, Warren statistically graded out far better than Michigan's existing defensemen last season at recovering loose pucks and opponent dump-ins, two areas Michigan has struggled with in the past. His ability to win board battles and take the puck away in the neutral zone also stood out as areas where Warren's game is superior to the existing defensive group. When combined with his strong ability to break the puck out via the pass, there are clear reasons to like Warren's appeal as a defensive defenseman who can play a big role on the PK and prevent Michigan from being hemmed in by big, strong forechecking teams (like what happened against Ohio State last season). 

Like Jacob Truscott, Warren is not someone who is a total defensive black-hole either. In fact, he's played far more on the PP than Truscott ever has, a decent skater who can facilitate offense. Warren entered the zone with control far more than the average Michigan defenseman last year in Peter's numbers and got more shots on goal than the average defender. He's been able to score goals at a very good clip for a defenseman, 12.6 per 82 games over his NCAA career, and the possession metrics look pretty good too. All the available data suggests that Warren has been a rock solid, two-way, top-four defenseman in his collegiate career, and he is thus a very welcome addition to this Michigan Hockey team. 

Season Expectations: Warren and Truscott make sense together as a trusty defensive pair, assuming that Warren has enough offensive and transitional juice to make it work. His zone entries with control number and experience on the PP makes me believe he does, but it's not set in stone. Warren may have to play with someone else, Seamus Casey being another logical tandem that could be electric. Expect Warren to munch minutes at 5v5 and on the PK, with occasional cameos on PP2, using his abilities as a puck retriever to be a major asset who makes Michigan's defense more well-rounded and better in front of the net and in the corners, while chipping in 5 or 6 goals. 

 

[David Wilcomes]

Ethan Edwards 

Year: Junior 

Height/Weight: 5'11"/190 

NHL Draft Position: 120th overall, 2020 NHL Draft, New Jersey

Stats: 4-10-14 in 37 games for Michigan last season 

Last season in the preview I named Ethan Edwards as one of the players I was most excited about for the upcoming season, predicting a big sophomore jump from the defenseman after a promising freshman year. Unfortunately it didn't really happen? Edwards wasn't bad, but it felt like he stagnated to some degree, still a fine player but not progressing to All-B1G level like I had hoped. If he can take that step as a junior, it will be a boost for this Michigan squad. 

Edwards came to Michigan out of the AJHL and slid into the lineup early in his freshman year, playing on the third pair as a fleet of foot transitional defenseman, one who can push play up the ice and flashes real shooting and passing ability in the offensive zone. He scored 8 points in his final 16 games as a true freshman and the hype started to build going into last year. Elevated into the top four, Edwards played opposite Seamus Casey in 2022-23 and it felt somewhat like Casey stole his thunder. Casey is the superior skater, puck-handler, and transitional defenseman, so on the pair it was Casey's job to do the offensive work up ice and Edwards was relegated to more of a defensive role that I'm not sure totally fit him. At the very least, it perhaps deprived Edwards of the chance to grow his offensive upside and demonstrate his best attributes. 

Last season Edwards saw only limited PP time while playing much more heavily on the PK. I'm not saying Edwards is bad defensively, but that he isn't necessarily a savant there. He's also undersized, a very skinny 5'11 and while he gives it his all, he can get pushed around in the corners. Edwards also resorts to hitting more than you'd maybe like, a 3.75 hits per 60 minutes clip last season that was 2.5x Casey's rate. Sometimes they were fun hits that accomplished something, other times they were superfluous and harmful, as Edwards took three major penalties and was second on the team to Mark Estapa in PIM. I'm not against bringing a physical game, especially to a team that often lacks much of one, but Edwards needs to be a bit smarter this season in how he's using his physicality and whether it's productive for the team. 

Season Expectations: One thing I do like about the influx of talent in the transfer portal at defense is the opportunity it could give Edwards to play on his own pair and go back to getting to play a more offense and transition game. If Seamus Casey is partnered off with a Marshall Warren or a Tyler Duke in the top four, and Truscott is also in there, then Edwards on the third pair with a Steve Holtz, Luca Fantilli, or Johnny Druskinis could be a really good spot for him. He will be able to take a few more risks and not play in his own end of the ice as much, replicating when Edwards played with Keaton Pehrson as a freshman and found a groove in that role. If you have Ethan Edwards on your third pair, you're in a great spot as a team and that's what Michigan has the potential to do this season. Especially if you give him advantageous matchups, I could see Edwards feasting in that capacity, easier opposition and a partner to complement his skillset. 

 

[Patrick Barron]

Steve Holtz 

Year: Senior 

Height/Weight: 6'4"/200 

NHL Draft Position: N/A

Stats: 1-6-7 in 25 games for Michigan last season

Also left standing from Michigan's 2020 class was the most anonymous member of the class, Steve Holtz. A local kid notable for his large frame and not much else, Holtz played in the BCHL and USHL before joining Michigan in the fall of 2020. He didn't appear in a game his freshman season and as a triple overager without impressive recruiting credentials, it wasn't clear if he'd ever find his way onto the ice. As a sophomore, he started to show that he might have a place in a winged helmet, drawing into the lineup in early November 2021 and then settling in as a starter until a mid-season injury suffered against Ohio State TKO'd him for the year. 

Thus, Holtz entered last season with just eleven career NCAA games to his name. I projected in last season's preview that Holtz would be a regular on the third pair and that we'd learn a lot more about him, a prediction that mostly came true. When Holtz was healthy, he was a regular in the lineup and indeed found himself towards the bottom of said lineup in terms of role. He wasn't healthy for all of the season though, as Holtz became a known name around college hockey for his terrifying battle with a respiratory infection that led to him being placed in a medically induced coma for survival in November of last year. It was pretty astonishing to see Holtz return to the lineup and even better that he scored his first NCAA goal as an OT winner in the B1G Tournament against Wisconsin: 

STEVEN HOLTZ! GAME WINNER! pic.twitter.com/YzOaEpHeWA

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 4, 2023

As for Holtz the player, he's a decent but limited NCAA defender. Being a big, right-shot defender is a lot of the appeal, as he lacks a lot of the other skills that Michigan defensemen typically have. Luca Fantilil, the next name on this list, fits the mold of what Michigan likes their defensemen to be as mobile, decently skilled puck movers. Holtz is the opposite of that. Some Michigan Hockey observers have been a bit frustrated with Holtz and encourage him to use that size more effectively than he does and I certainly don't think it would hurt his game. but we have to be realistic that he is a serviceable 3rd pair defenseman and not a ton more than that. Okay defensively, can play some on the PK if you need, going to struggle in other areas. 

Season Expectations: Thankfully, Michigan doesn't need Holtz to be anything more than that. They have five defenders clearly ahead of him on the depth chart (the five names you've read already), with Holtz being the start of the group vying for the 6th/7th D jobs. In terms of age and experience, Holtz would be the clear leader in that sweepstakes, but it's certainly not out of the question that either Luca Fantilli or Johnny Druskinis could make a sophomore leap and hop over Holtz. The probability that Holtz is a radically different player than he was this past season is quite low. For those other two, it's higher. We'll see how it shakes out, but I do expect Holtz to be either the 6th or 7th quite often and if Michigan opts to use their 19th skater on a D like they have the past few years, then Holtz should be in line to play 20-30 games again. 

 

[Bill Rapai]

Luca Fantilli 

Year: Sophomore 

Height/Weight: 6'0"/183

NHL Draft Position: N/A

Stats: 2-5-7 in 36 games for Michigan last season 

Adam's older brother, Luca is still around at Michigan because unfortunately, his talent is only a fraction of his brother's. Oh well, that's how it goes for most of us mortals. Luca can still be an important piece for Michigan Hockey moving forward and I think he will be. As an overager freshman last year, Luca Fantilli played much more than I anticipated, largely as the 7th defenseman. Brandon Naurato opted to use the 19th skater role for a 7th defenseman last season and Luca Fantilli held that role most frequently. When there were injuries and illnesses in the D corps, he jumped up to take a regular role. When the lineup was healthy, he was bumped down to 7th D and took only a couple shifts. Combining the two roles, he suited up in nearly every game for Michigan. 

David liked what he saw from Luca Fantilli pretty early last season. This was from November 11: 

Luca Fantilli has worked his way into the lineup as a third of the rotating bottom pairing. I thought he was really good on Friday. He moved the puck pretty well and got forward creating some chances in the offensive zone. He also hustled back and deflected the puck to prevent a 2v1. Luca looked comfortable on his skates on exits too. Notre Dame didn’t forecheck the way previous opponents did, but on a night were Steve Holtz was scratched, Luca Fantilli looked the part.

That more or less was the scouting report for Luca even as the year rolled along and the opponents changed. He skates pretty well, can break the puck out okay, and has some real puck-moving ability. There's not a ton of flash to his game and he was not ready for a big time role, but for a bottom of the lineup player, there was nothing wrong with Luca. His ability to push play from the back-end forward via the stretch pass is the closest thing to a signature skill we saw last year: 

Beautifully threaded breakout pass from Luca Fantilli to Philippe Lapointe from the first period. That’s what Luca entered the lineup last night to do pic.twitter.com/jL0ZzUtV9A

— Sam Stockton (@_samstockton) November 6, 2022

His defensive game will always be more about positioning and stick-work than muscle and physicality, but that's fine. On this team, if Luca can replicate what he did last year and perhaps make small steps forward across the board, it could be enough to win him a spot on the bottom pair. Or at least run it back as the 7th D. 

Season Expectations: Fantilli is right there with Steve Holtz as the foremost contenders to take the 6th spot in the everyday lineup, given their experience. I am not ruling out the possibility that the next name on this list makes a jump into that conversation (and in fact would like to see it) but for now, Luca starts ahead. From a stylistic standpoint, you may prefer Holtz as the 6th and then Fantilli obviously has experience as the 7th.

If I had to guess, that may be the most likely alignment. But it could also be a preference based on matchup/opponent, with Holtz being a bigger and immobile sort of player vs. Fantilli's smaller, better skating, puck-oriented game. It never hurts to have options and with 10 D on the team, Naurato has a ton of those. As an overarching season expectation, I'd expect Fantilli to play in ~90% of games when healthy, with close to an even split between 6th and 7th in the order, but perhaps tilting towards 7th D more often. A few points, but not a ton of ice time and very limited usage on special teams if any. 

 

[Bill Rapai]

Johnny Druskinis 

Year: Sophomore 

Height/Weight: 6'1"/185

NHL Draft Position: N/A

Stats: 0-2-2 in 8 games for Michigan last season. 

Druskinis is a player I was intrigued by in last season's preview, due to the then-freshman's USHL stat line featuring 159 PIM in 53 games, which was third in that league. As a bigger, right-shot guy, I found Druskinis interesting as a defenseman that Michigan doesn't typically recruit. The brief bit of scouting from the program that I included in last year's preview talked up the #grit, so that's still a lot of what we know about him.

In the few games that he played last season, mostly at the end of the first half after severe illness befell Steve Holtz, Druskinis had some flashes of defensive acumen. He defended an odd-man rush very well and used his stick to ward off Minnesota forwards competently in one game I recall. Is that much to go off of? No, but we have anecdotally heard positive things from more connected individuals. After the small glimpses of last season, I'd like to see Michigan give Druskinis a shot to take that last spot on the third pair to see what he can do. At the very least, his upside is a bit more intriguing than that of Steve Holtz, where we know who he is and for that reason I want to see a little more Druskinis. Of course, he has to earn the opportunity in practice. 

Season Expectations: Could be on the third pair as a regular, could be a frequent scratch. More likely somewhere in between, bouncing between the lineup, being scratched, and suiting up as the 7th D/19th skater. Probably a bit more ice time and opportunities to dress than he had last season. 

 

[Grace Beal]

Brendan Miles 

Year: Sophomore

Height/Weight: 6'1"/175 

NHL Draft Position: N/A

Stats: 0-0-0 in 6 games last season for Michigan 

Miles is the returner we know the least about, a local kid who played at Detroit Catholic Central before a sojourn in the NAHL. He enrolled at Michigan as a double overager and I deemed him "the most likely out of this crop to be the next Jake Gingell, a guy who seldom ever plays over four years" in last season's preview. Through one season, that take is largely on track. Miles got into six games after the Truscott injury before vanishing for the rest of the season. He didn't take a ton of shifts in the games he played so I do not have many takes on him. Given that Michigan has five regular starters penciled in, plus two more contributors from last season who saw the ice ahead of Miles, it will likely take many injuries to see more of him this season. Check back in another year or two. 

Season Expectations: Likely a frequent healthy scratch and if he plays, the 7th defenseman taking few shifts. 

 

Josh Orrico 

Year: Freshman 

Height/Weight: 5'9"/165 

NHL Draft Position: N/A

Stats: -----

Per ancient laws, just as one Italian-Canadian from the Greater Toronto Area exits the hockey roster (Adam Fantilli), another one has to join. Enter Josh Orrico, from Woodbridge. He is this offseason's Brendan Miles, a Who Dat recruit at defense taken as a double overager after a ho-hum career in the NAHL (previously the BCHL). Orrico played for the Janesville Jets, scoring 15 points in 43 games, which does not indicate a player who profiles as an impact piece in the NCAA right away (or perhaps ever). Orrico is a right-shot, like Miles, which you can never have too many of, but Orrico is extremely undersized compared to Miles. At 165 lbs., he is the lightest player on the team. Given the nature of his recruiting profile, there isn't much scouting out there on Orrico. In fact, there wasn't even a picture on google images I liked enough to include. This one seems like a "we like some of his skills, maybe if he beefs up we have a third pair D in a few years" situation. 

Season Expectations: Likely a frequent healthy scratch and if he plays, the 7th defenseman taking few shifts.